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Eden-Monaro byelection: voters cast final ballots in close-fought contest – follow live Eden-Monaro byelection: polls close in a tightly fought contest – follow live
(32 minutes later)
Follow all the results, news and analysis as Labor’s Kristy McBain attempts to retain seat for ALP and the Liberal party’s Fiona Kotvojs hopes for a once-in-100 year upset. Latest news Follow all the results, news and analysis as Labor’s Kristy McBain attempts to retain seat for ALP and the Liberal party’s Fiona Kotvojs hopes for a once-in-100-year upset. Latest news
It has been a huge day in Victoria – and this is the news that is going to be dominating Australian headlines for the next week. If you need to catch up, you’ll find all the information here:
Scott Morrison won’t be appearing during the byelection, we are being told.
He has been focused on the pandemic response.
Anthony Albanese is in town though.
This should not come as a surprise to anyone (that John Barilaro won’t say who he voted for).
The NSW Nats leader has not ruled out having a tilt himself at the next election. Having a Labor MP will make that a lot easier for him, in terms of internal Coalition politics.
The count is going to be slightly different for AEC counters at this election:
That’s it – the polls have closed.That’s it – the polls have closed.
Let the counting begin.Let the counting begin.
For those wanting to follow along with the count, you can follow it here For those wanting to follow along with the count, you can follow it here:
Polls are open for a little while longer.Polls are open for a little while longer.
The big news though, is Victoria where 108 new cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the last 24 hours. Two more postcodes have been placed into lockdown, accounting for the suburbs Kensington, Flemington and North Melbourne. The big news though is in Victoria where 108 new cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the last 24 hours. Two more postcodes have been placed into lockdown, accounting for the suburbs Kensington, Flemington and North Melbourne.
And, of course, it has been as chilly as my cold dead heart out there today, as Mike Bowers found out:And, of course, it has been as chilly as my cold dead heart out there today, as Mike Bowers found out:
And as a catch-up on what you might have missed, this piece by Katharine Murphy and Paul Karp gives a pretty excellent run-through of what has gone on:And as a catch-up on what you might have missed, this piece by Katharine Murphy and Paul Karp gives a pretty excellent run-through of what has gone on:
Paul Karp has taken a look at the campaign so far Paul Karp has taken a look at the campaign so far:
Welcome to our live coverage of the Eden-Monaro byelection.Welcome to our live coverage of the Eden-Monaro byelection.
As with all byelection campaigns, it has been a slightly weird one - more so this time around because it has been carried out in the midst of a pandemic. So it’s been a little strange even for a byelection. As with all byelection campaigns, it has been a slightly weird one – more so this time around because it has been carried out in the midst of a pandemic. So it’s been a little strange even for a byelection.
Mike Kelly, whose retirement for health reasons sparked the byelection, won the seat in the 2019 election with a reduced margin of 0.9%. Mike Kelly, whose retirement for health reasons sparked the contest, won the seat for Labor in the 2019 election with a reduced margin of 0.9%.
That’s just a handful of the 114,000 or so voters changing their mind to flip the seat to the Coalition. So just a handful of the 114,000 or so voters changing their mind would flip the seat to the Coalition.
In terms of actual impact, the result of this byelection is fairly low-stakes. In terms of actual impact, the result of this byelection is fairly low stakes.
If Labor’s Kristy McBain wins, it’s status quo. If the Liberals’ Fiona Kotvojs wins, the government gets another backbencher. If Labor’s Kristy McBain wins, it’s the status quo. If the Liberals’ Fiona Kotvojs wins, the government gets another backbencher.
There is, of course, the normal pundit talk of “what will this mean for the opposition leader’s leadership” but the answer there too is fairly shrug-worthy. Labor has been “managing expectations” from the beginning, pointing out the byelection has been carried out in a once in 100-year pandemic. Also, the Victorian branch of the Labor party has been suspended, and is under the administration of the federal executive. Given the changes to the Labor leadership rules, changing a leader these days is not as easy as creating rumblings in the party room. There is, of course, the normal pundit talk of “what will this mean for the opposition leader’s leadership” but the answer there too is fairly shrug-worthy. Labor has been “managing expectations” from the beginning, pointing out that the byelection has been carried out in a once in 100-year pandemic. Also, the Victorian branch of the Labor party has been suspended, and is under the administration of the federal executive. Given the changes to the Labor leadership rules, changing a leader these days is not as easy as creating rumblings in the party room.
And of course there are other candidates. The Nationals candidate, Trevor Hicks, has been pulled in all sorts of directions by the never-ending drama between the NSW Liberals and the NSW Nationals. The Greens and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers parties are also fielding candidates, and their preferences will be crucial. Labor received criticism for striking a preference deal with the SFF, while Labor has returned fire over the internal drama between the Coalition partners. And of course there are other candidates. The Nationals candidate, Trevor Hicks, has been pulled in all sorts of directions by the never-ending drama between the NSW Liberals and the NSW Nationals. The Greens and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers parties are also fielding candidates, and their preferences will be crucial. Labor received criticism for striking a preference deal with the SFF but has returned fire over the internal drama between the Coalition partners.
Throw in the size of the electorate - it’s about the size of Switzerland – and the vastly different experiences of voters – while Queanbeyan is focused on business and recovery from the pandemic, much of the south coast communities are still struggling to get housing and running water after the summer bushfires destroyed their towns – and you have an electorate with a lot of different priorities. Throw in the size of the electorate (it’s about the size of Switzerland) and the vastly different experiences of voters – while Queanbeyan is focused on business and recovery from the pandemic, much of the south coast communities are still struggling to get housing and running water after the summer bushfires destroyed their towns – and you have an electorate with a lot of different priorities.
The shared experience though is the suffering. Eden-Monaro is doing it tough. Very tough. And if you have seen people living in shipping containers, making one-hour round trips to have a hot shower, you know exactly how tough I mean.The shared experience though is the suffering. Eden-Monaro is doing it tough. Very tough. And if you have seen people living in shipping containers, making one-hour round trips to have a hot shower, you know exactly how tough I mean.
Whichever candidate wins has a massive job ahead of them.Whichever candidate wins has a massive job ahead of them.
So stay with us, as we run through the night’s events. We may not get a result tonight – pre-polling numbers are very high, and postals could prove crucial. So stay with us, as we run through the night’s events. We may not get a result tonight – pre-polling numbers are very high and postals could prove crucial.
But like every election, no one really knows what is going to happen until it happens. But, like every election, no one really knows what is going to happen until it happens.
You have Mike Bowers on the ground and I’ll show you some of what he has captured over the last day of campaigning.You have Mike Bowers on the ground and I’ll show you some of what he has captured over the last day of campaigning.
You have Katharine Murphy watching the result, so keep an eye out for her analysis – and you have me, Amy Remeikis, keeping you updated through the night.You have Katharine Murphy watching the result, so keep an eye out for her analysis – and you have me, Amy Remeikis, keeping you updated through the night.
Polls close at 6pm – so grab yourself something nice to drink, pull up a comfy chair and get ready for wherever the night takes us.Polls close at 6pm – so grab yourself something nice to drink, pull up a comfy chair and get ready for wherever the night takes us.
Thanks for joining us – you can always join the conversation by hitting me up on Twitter, if you so feel the need.Thanks for joining us – you can always join the conversation by hitting me up on Twitter, if you so feel the need.
Ready? Let’s get into it.Ready? Let’s get into it.